European Council of Bishops addresses the synodality of episcopal conferences

The Council of the Episcopal Conference of Europe (CCEE) meets this week in Madrid under the motto “The service of the European episcopates in the dynamism between unity and diversity” to address the synodal dimension of the episcopal conferences.

According to the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), the work sessions that will take place this Monday and tomorrow Tuesday have begun with the greetings of the Apostolic Nuncio in Spain, Mons. Bernardito Auza; the president of the CCEE, Mons. Gintaras Grušas; the Secretary General of the Council, Martin Michalíček; and the Secretary General of the EEC, Mons. Francisco César García Magán, as host, who presented a reflection on the situation of the Catholic Church in Spain.

29 general secretaries from different episcopal conferences attend the meeting.

The presentations that frame the development of the working groups are given by the dean of the Faculty of Theology of the San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University (Madrid), Gabriel Richi Alberti (Communion, Participation and Mission: Episcopal Conferences as Synodal Expressions) and Sister. Estelle Mical Sogbou, from the Chemin Neuf Community in Bonn, Germany (Synodality as an Ecumenical Experience).

In Press conferencethe president of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences, Bishop Gintaras Grušas, has stated that “in the synod process that is underway, the role of the continental conferences of bishops is having greater importance” and that its main objective is “ adapt the proclamation of the Gospel to today’s Europe”, for which cooperation between bishops is necessary.

Bishop Grušas explained the recent result of the elections to the European Parliament, in which some parties maintain skeptical positions outside of political correctness and a marked patriotic character, is due to a deviation from the original plan of the founders of the European Union:

“The founders saw that there were issues that needed to be resolved locally and others centrally. And as time goes on we see that more and more areas are being brought to centralized decision-making in Brussels instead of being left to the decision-making sphere of the member states. Part of the reaction is to find the right balance between both things,” he explained.

Regarding the issue of migration, of great importance in current European politics, Bishop Grušas recalled that “the Holy Father has repeated on several occasions that we must face the needs of migrants from a human level, with respect and being prepared to serve them.”

On the other hand, he added that the European Union “has to continue trying to solve the problems of migration not only within Europe, but also looking towards countries where there are problems to solve”, in relation to the countries of origin of those who emigrate. to Europe.

Asked about the recent exclusion of abortion as a right in a statement after the G7 meeting in Italy, attended by Pope Francis, Bishop Grušas underlined concern “about the demographic winter that Europe is experiencing”, and pointed out that “the future of Europe depends on the culture of life.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is undoubtedly one of the issues that most concerns CCEE members. Among them are representatives of the Catholic bishops’ conferences of the Russian Federation and Ukraine, as well as the synod of bishops of the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine.

As detailed by Bishop Grušas, the members of the CCEE collaborate from a Catholic perspective and in that sense there has been cooperation in the field of pastoral care related to the conflict.

In fact, Ukrainian representatives shared their concern with the Russians about those deported to Siberia. The Russians “who already had the experience 50 or 70 years ago, said: ‘We are looking for you. If you have information about where they have been deported, we will mobilize our priests to ensure that they have pastoral care in this very difficult situation,’” Bishop Grušas revealed.